Flexible Working Increases Loyalty, Reduces Stress: Study

A recent study by Regus, a provider of flexible work spaces, found that 71% of survey respondents said flexible working makes employees more loyal. 59% of workers said they’d turn down a job if flexible working wasn’t an option. A full 73% of those polled believe that flexible working lowers stress levels.

In a complementary study last November, Rogers Connected Workplace concluded that a third of Canadians value flexible work arrangements over other perks. 33% of their respondents said they would sacrifice something (including salary, vacation days and employee benefits) to work remotely and over half (59%) of Canadians agree in the future, flexible work hours and the ability to work from anywhere will be top priorities in their choice of employer.

The same study found that in the future, Canadians would prefer to use laptops (40%), tablets (15%), and smartphones (10%) as primary work devices.

Curiously, only one of the three 2013 Canadian Startup Awards finalists in the Employer of the Year category cites flexible work hours among their employee benefits (that honour goes to Shopify). With evidence mounting in favour of flexible work hours, expect to see a continued shift in the way the rat race is run.